Dump trailer



oct., 22, 1935. H, A. HOLZER` 2,017,970

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GetI 22, 1935. l H. A. HoLzER 2,017,970

DUMP TRAILER .Filed Aug. 13, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l. la

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Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DUDIP TRAILER Application August 13, 1931, Serial No. 556,733

1 Claim.

This invention relates to vehicles having dump bodies and more particularly to trailers having bodies provided with hinged doors operable to effect dumping of the load carried by the body.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide a bottom dump for material-conveying vehicles and to produce a dump trailer having bottom openings closed by hinged doors whereby a load carried by the trailer may be dumped beneath or closely adjacent the trailer.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent in the course of the following description of one form of apparatus embodying the invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a dump trailer constructed in accordance with this invention, a traction vehicle and portions of a dump pit being shown fragmentarily.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the trailer including the bottom of the dump body, the bottom door of the body and a doorclosing loop being shown partly by dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the trailer on the line 3 3, Fig. 2, giving an end elevation of the bottom portion of the dump body, a latch-operating lever and lever supporting chain being shown fragmentarily.

Fig. 4 is a front end elevation of a modied form of bo-ttom dump trailer, the forwardly projecting side sills being shown in section, one of the hinged bottom doors and chute related thereto, being shown by dotted lines in open position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of a modified bottom portion of a dump trailer illustrating means for operating the door, the door and portions of the bottom being shown by dotted lines.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the bottom portion of a dump body equipped with a door similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and illustrating a modified form of latch.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

lil and l2 designate the side sills and I4 the end sills of a trailer frame or chassis the rear end 'of which is mounted on wheels I E rotatable on an axle i8 extending across and supporting the rear end of the frame. 'Ihe front end is supported on 50 .a fth wheel l1 of any conventional design, which is carried on a traction vehicle I 1. l 8 designates a dump body mounted on the frame for containing material to be transported by the trailer.

The structure illustrated is adapted to transport a large quantity of heavy material and the body 1s reinforced and stabilized by angles such as 20 and 22 fixed to the body and the frame.

'I'he body tapers downwardly and includes an open bottom portion 24 depending below the frame, and stiflened by downward continuations 5 of the angles 20. The bottom portion includes side walls 26 having lower edges spaced substantially below the lower edges of the sills but spaced suiiiciently above the ground over which the trailer is moved to prevent encounter of the de- 10 pending body portion with obstacles on the ground.

End walls 28 of the bottom portion have lower edges spaced upwardly from the lower edges of the side walls 26 to accommodate an arcuate 15 metalv bottom door member 30 hingedly supported by the trailer to close the bottom opening oi' the body as presently described.

'Ihe front transverse edge of the door is provided with a hinge pin 32 having opposite ends 20 mounted in portions of the side walls 26 reinforced by plates 34 as clearly shown in the drawings and may thus swing vertically to and from the bottom opening of the body.

The door curves longitudinally sufficiently to 25 cause the central portion thereof to extend below the lower 4edges of the side walls 26 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and has a rear end edge adapted to abut the upwardly olfset lower edge of the rear end wall of the botto-m portion while said por- 30* tion extends below the side walls 26.

'Ihe rear edge of the door is reinforced by strips 40 and providedwith a bar 42 arranged trans'- versely along the rearwardly extending bottom edge portions of the reinforcing strips, and with 35 stiifening blocks 44 xed to the bar in spaced relation as shown in Fig. 3. The blocks form reinforced sections of the bar for engagement by latching members 46 and 48 mounted on a rod 50 rotatable in bearing brackets 52 xed to the 40 rear end wallof the depending body portion.

The latchingmembers have noses 54 engageable with the lower faces of the bar and reinforcingblocks to support the free end of the door in bottom closing position and are operable by a lever arm or crank handle 56 xed to the outwardly extending end of the rod for moving the latching noses into and out of door supporting position. The lever arm 56 extends rearwardly from the rod 50 a substantial distance 50 and has suiiicient weight normally to cause the rod to pivot on its brackets and swing the latches A into door supporting position.

A chain 60 connected with the outer end of the lever has an outer end connected with the body or releasing member 66 mounted on a post 68 at one side of a pit '|0 provided with rails 'l2 forming a track for thetrailer whereby the lever will be operated in a direction to swing the latches for releasing the door to dump the load into the pit.

The open door will swing between the rails,Y

and in order to close the door,`a curved projection preferably comprising a channel-like bar 14 has ends fixed to the ends ofthe door and depends below the trailer to engage and slide over a carn'1lA mounted between the rails.i The curved advance edge of the bar will encounter the downwardly inclined rear end portion of the cam, and slide thereover, thus lifting the rear end of the door and causing the rear edge thereof to displace the latches and move to closed position. The latches then swing into position to hold the door closed.

- In Fig; 4 a modified form of dump trailer is shown, including longitudinal side sills or channels 80 supported by wheels 82, and a body including end walls each having an upper section 84 inclined downwardly inwardly, and a lower vertical section 86, and'downwardly inwardly inclined side walls 88 secured to the side sills.

The lower longitudinal edges of the side walls terminate at the upper inner edges of the sills but may be formed of plates continued vertically downwardly to close the inwardly directed channels in thesills. i

The lower Vedges of the side walls are thus spaced to provide the bottom opening for the body, and the opening is closed by a flap 90 and hinged doors 92 and 94 as presently described.

Side edge portions of the end wall sections 88 incline inwardly downwardly from the sills. and

Y Y the lower edges of the sections are incut to provide upwardly converging bottom edges meeting in the longitudinal center line of the trailer and substantially in the plane of the lowei edges of the sills.

Extending longitudinally beneath the body is e. beam |00 comprising an angle iron having ends seated in the angles formed by the converging lower edges of the end wall sections 86 and fixed to said end walls.

Supplemental bottom plates or chutes |02 and |04 having front end edges shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 have upper endsresting on the diverging faces of the angle beam |00 and extend substantially in registry with the inclined lower edges of the end walls. The dotted lines to which the numerals |02 and |04 are applied therefore indicate the contour of the lower edge of the front end wall section 86. f

`'The opposite ends of the beam extend beyond the end walls 86 and support the upper ends of angle brackets |06 having vertical flanges overlying the outer faces of the end walls and horizontal flanges extending beneath the lower edges ofV the end walls to assist in supporting the supplementary bottom plates |02 and |04. The plates are preferably welded to the beam and end walls to form a rigid structure.

The iiap has an inner edge rolled to surround a hinge pin |08 suitably supported, for example, by the end walls of the body. The iiap is suiiiciently wide so that its outer edge portion may overlie and be supported by the lower edge 5 portion of one or the other of the inclined side walls as shown at the left in Fig. 4, and 11e in alignment with the supplementary bottom plate on the opposite side of the center beam.

The lower edges of the plates |02 and |04 are 10 spaced below the lower edges of the sills and define downwardly laterally directed openings located substantially inwardly from the side walls of the body and from the wheels. The doors 92 and 94 are provided to close said openings, and 15 Yare operable as presently described.

Each of the doors 92 and 94 has an upper edge pivotally mounted on a hinge pin ||0 rotatably supported in strap hinges or the like flxed to the side sills, and a lower edge portion engageable 2g with the outer edgeY of the adjacent plate |02 or |04, and provided with an exterior stiffening strip ||2.

VLatching fingers ||4 substantially centrally pivotally supported by pins ||6 projecting from 25 straps 8 fixed to the brackets |06, have upwardly projecting latching teeth |20 to engage the strips I2 and latch the doors in closed position.

The inner ends of the latching fingers are piv- 30 otally connected by a pin |22 in the longitudinal center of the trailer, and a lever |24 pivotally supported by a pin |26 in a plate |28 fixed to the front end wall section 86 is connected with the pivot pin |22 by a link |30 for coincidently oper- :5^

ating the latching fingers.

Worm gears |32 are further provided on the rolled edges of the doors, and worms |34 on shafts |36 supported by brackets |38 and meshed with the gears are operable by wheels |40 for swlng- 0 ing the doors to and from closed position.

Chute members'or'wings |42 are further provided to' form extensions of the bottom plates |02 and |04, having inner edges connected to said plates by exterior strap hinges |44. Suitable 4.5 lines |46 such as wires connected with ears |48 on the outer edges of the wings lead over pulleys or shafts |50 mounted on brackets |52 supported by the body, and operable by wheels |54 for lifting the wings. 50 The flap may be arranged'to close the bottom portion at the left in Fig. 4, and form an inclined bottom having an outlet at the right of the iigure closed by the door 94. The chute-like wing at the right may be lowered lnto alignment with l5 the inclined bottom, and the outer Vend of the lever may be depressed to lift the upwardly converging latch fingers and release the latch tooth from the door 94, and material in the body will tend to press the door open for dumping the,

load.

The door may be controlled by the worm gear device for adjusting the area ofthe opening.

Fig. 5 illustrates another modified form of dump trailer including side sills |60 supported by springs |62 on running gear (not shown) and a body including a side wall |64 having a bottom portion |66 extending below the adjacent side sill. The side walls |68 of the bottom por- 'o tion have front and rear edges converging downwardly, and a rearwardly inclined bottom wall |10 is mounted at the front edges of the walls. The rear end of the bottom portion is open and has downwardly forwardly inclined side edges u forming a downwardly rearwardly directed discharge mouth beneath the body.

A door |72 having an upper edge provided with a hinge pin VM mounted in brackets |16 fixed to the sills and side walls of the bottom portion 68, may swing to and from the opening. Wings |18 on the side walls further support the brackets |16 and provide a guide or housing for the door.

A chain H9 having one end fixed to the free edge of the door is connected with a shaft |80 rotatable in a bracket |82 supported by the adjacent sill, and a worm |34 on a shaft |86 supported by the bracket is meshed with a gear |88 on the shaft. The worm shaft may be rotated by a wheel |88 for operating the chain to release the door and to close and hold the door.

A modied form of latch is shown in Fig. 6 applicable to the doors illustrated in Figs. l to 3, including a body |92 slidable in an opening in a hanging bracket |94 xed to one of the sills, into and out of door latching position. A second bracket E98 is substantially centrally pivoted to the outer end of a rigid bar |98 projecting from the bracket |84 and has a lower end pivoted to the outer end of the latch body |92 to form a latch operating lever. An operating arm 288 projects laterally from the upper end of the lever through a guide slot 202 in the sill, and a spring 284 on the latch body tends to move the body into door latching position.

In using the invention, a trailer body is provided having a bottom opening that may be closed by a hinged door, in accordance with the forms shown in any one of the several gures.

The door may be held closed by any suitable means, and preferably by detaining means shown, to retain a load, and when allowed to swing open will elect dumping of the load beneath the body and between the Wheels of the trailer.

Hinged wings may be provided in any form of the device for distributing material, and are particularly applicable to a body having a sharply inclined bottom wall as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, against which the free edge of the door may lie to retain material. For example, the bottom portion of the dump body may be arranged to form a laterally directed bottom outlet, and wings may be provided as shown in Fig. 4 for distributing the load laterally at one side of the trailer and exteriorly to the track of the wheels.

What I claim and desire to secure by VLetters Patent is:

A dump Vehicle including a frame, a body on the frame having a bottom dump opening, a door hinged at one end to the body for closing the opening, a shaft rotatably mounted on the body in parallel relation to and adjacent the free end of the door, a latching member fixed on said shaft for latching engagement with the free end of the door, a lever xed to the shaft and normally tending to rotate the shaft by weight of the lever to urge said latching member to engagement with the door, and a flexible member connected to the body and the lever for holding said latching member in the path of said free end of the door whereby the door, when moving to closed position, can displace the latching member and be again engaged by said member when fully closed.

HIRAM A. HOLZER. 

